Scottie Scheffler may have been without Ted Scott on his bag once again at the weekend but the caddie’s replacement stepped up just fine.
The world No 1 was without his mainstay caddie as he teed it up at the BMW Championship last week after Scott had to leave the PGA Tour playoffs to rush back home to Louisiana for a family emergency earlier this month.
However, unfortunately for his fellow pros, even that couldn’t stop the recent Open champion as he rolled to yet another victory with substitute bagman Michael Cromie.
And after stepping in for duty, Cromie, who usually caddies for six-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk, walked away from Caves Valley Golf Club with an eyewatering payday.
Scheffler claimed the BMW Championship’s staggering $3.6 million prize money for the victory – his fifth of the season – and in doing so, paid out a hefty sum to his replacement caddie.
In golf it is customary for players to award their caddies a 10 percent cut of their winnings from tournaments, meaning, if Scheffler follows the rule, Cromie likely walked away with a $360,000 paycheck.
Scottie Scheffler claimed the BMW Championship without his usual caddie on the bag
Substitute bagman Michael Cromie (right) stepped in for the world No 1 last week
That figure already surpasses what Cromie would have already banked for the entire 2025 season so far.
The 33-year-old has been on the bag for Kirk since 2020 with the Tour professional pocketing $2,939,050 this season, according to the PGA Tour’s official money list. The average on Tour is $1,977,255.
However, American player failed to make the cut for the restricted 50-man field at the BMW Championship, that only sees the top players in the FedEx Cup standings compete before being whittled down again to 30 for this week’s Tour Championship.
Kirk agonizingly fell short, finishing 51st in the rankings and just one spot our of the BMW Championship’s exclusive field.
However, his exclusion freed up Cromie to caddie for Scheffler, who came from behind to win the tournament Sunday, beating Robert MacIntyre by two strokes in Maryland.
‘He’s a guy I can trust,’ Scheffler told reporters or Cromie following Sunday’s victory. ‘He’s one of Ted’s good buddies. I’d just say it’s pretty much as simple as that. Cromie is a guy that works hard. He does his prep work, and he was an easy guy for me to trust out there.’
Scheffler added, ‘I felt like we did a good job of talking through our shots and staying patient and keep doing the right things even when things were looking a little bit squirrelly there on the back nine.
‘We did a good job of staying focused and continuing to hit shots at the right targets. Closed the tournament out nicely.’
Scheffler’s usual caddie Ted Scott (right) had to return home for a family emergency
The four-time major winner, pictured with his wife and son, has been in imperious form
Scheffler will now head to East Lake where a massive $10 million prize awaits for the Tour’s champion.
However, it remains unclear whether Scott will return to Scheffler’s bag n time for the Tour Championship, which tees off in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, or whether Cromie will be called upon yet again.
Scheffler acknowledged Scott’s absence at the weekend but refused to divulge any details surrounding his trip home.
‘Ted is at home with his family, and he’s where he’s supposed to be,’ Scheffler told reporters. ‘We’re praying for them, and his family is doing all right. Cromie did a great job this week. It’s not easy stepping in and trying to fill in for Ted. Those are some big shoes to fill.’
If Cromie does stay on Scheffler’s bag this week, it could turn into a lucrative couple of weeks’ work if the four-time major winner maintains his usual imperious form.
Said form has earned Scott an eye-watering amount over the past few years – more than most players
Ahead of last week’s tournament, Scheffler had already banked $20.36m in tournament prize money, giving Scott just over $2m for himself.
On top of that, Scheffler has another $23m in bonus money – but it is unclear how much commission his caddie is on when it comes to that.
